Hello! I'm McKenzie, a product designer working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human-centered design, big data, and cloud computing.

What I love most about design is the process of observing how people use complicated systems, finding pain points and working with talented people to create beautiful and simple solutions.

My primary focus is interaction and UX design, but as a proud generalist, I find joy in communicating ideas clearly at any level. On any given day, I can be found working on a wide range of design artifacts, including research presentations, hand-drawn sketches, information architecture diagrams, pixel-perfect UI comps or coded interactive prototypes that demonstrate micorinteractions and animation.

Outside of work, I love to backpack through the National Park system and contribute to trail restoration projects on public land. Other interests include running long distances very slowly, eating at Waffle House, playing sad country songs and watching too many movies.

Our machines should be nothing more than tools for extending the powers of the human beings who use them.

- Thomas Watson Jr.

Design Process

Generative Research

Before a project can begin, the generative research phase gives me the freedom to find out from real users “what should we build?”

Information Architecture

Mapping out an experience from end to end before thinking about an interface helps clarify intent, define scope and reveal assumptions.

Sketching and Wireframes

Sketching and creating wireframes at the appropriate level of fidelity makes it easier to get feedback early and often from stakeholders.

Prototyping

To get the details right, I like to use tools such as Framer and Flinto to fine-tune microinteractions and UI animation.

Delivery & Execution

The design isn’t finished until the product ships. Delivery and execution is an all-hands-on-deck process to ensure fit and finish with the development team.

Evaluative Research

Constantly testing prototypes and recent releases with real people helps keep users as the north star.

Kind words from friends

He's taken one of the biggest and most complex areas of the release, gained understanding of the customer process, pain points and priorities and synthesized them into a great user experience. He's been very good at taking the discussion and feedback during meetings and quickly incorporating them into the design in a way that moves the user experience forward as opposed to creating churn and extra followup. He keeps meetings on track and prioritizes topics so we get good use of everyone's time. He has a positive attitude and is a pleasure to work with.

- Irina Simpson, Senior Product Manager at IBM

He worked extremely hard towards his big ideas with exceptional attention to detail. And under difficult circumstances, Mac maintained a positive attitude that made him a joy to work with and a great partner as he collaborated with many other teams. Mac would be a great addition to any team.

- Deana Jirak, Senior UX Designer at Amazon

Mac has shown a very high level of motivation to learn, a willingness to put his ideas out there for consideration and debate, and an uplifting, positive attitude about working with others.

- Kathryn Campbell, Managing Partner at Primitive Spark